I didn't want to butt in on Steve's post, but what lines would you all recommend for me? Here are my (hopefully feasible) 'wants:'

- First and foremost I want a Personal Protection Dog

- Secondly, I want a dog that can live in the house with me, hubby, my other dog , and cat(s) and not destroy everything. I could, perhaps keep him outside in the fenced yard during the day/when we weren't home, but that's not something I would want to *have* to necessarily resort to, as I don't trust my neighbors. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

- A dog that can go backpacking and hiking with us and carry his own pack (don't know if that's relevant or not, but he would be doing this)


I would prefer an older dog that has had some foundation training in bitework, to prepare him for being trained in PP, because I do not think I would be able to get a puppy and do everything right on my own, even with all of Ed's DVDs. I have no idea how to prepare a puppy for PP work as he matures.

If you intend to backpack with a trained PPD, will the dog be leashed 100% of the time ( which I think would be a total drag for hiking with a dog <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> )?
If not, you need to re-think which of your "wants" is more important here.

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will the dog be leashed 100% of the time?

Well, it depends on where we go (in some places it's law to have your dog leashed on trails), but I'm assuming a PPD will be trustworthy to walk nicely off the leash and to obey any and all commands it is given with no question. I would hope that he would not just take off into the woods after a deer or something and not respond to a recall, or go running up to someone else's dog that we meet or whatever. Now, my current dog, I leash her when we go hiking because she has issues with some dogs and also with some (but not all) children. She is always wearing the ecollar, whether we are at home or away from home; and I use it to correct any aggressive behaviors towards other dogs or children, but the leash is there so that I have 100% control of her at all times, and so if there ever was an incident where she bit some other unleashed dog or something, I would not be in the wrong since she was leashed. It's really no big deal having her leashed, because she does walk nicely on a leash, and if she's in front of me, she knows the "wait" command and will halt in place if I need her to (for steep drops or whatever). It's never been a burden for us to keep her leashed.

I think I mis-read your post when I posted yesterday. Were you saying that I should or should not keep him leashed all of the time? Keeping him leashed all of the time, as I do now with my current dog, was my original plan, but I thought you were saying that maybe I shouldn't keep him leashed at all times, since you think that would be a real drag for hiking. I went back just now and re-read what you posted, though, and I think I just mis-interpreted what you were saying. In fact, (and I've bitched about this before on here I think) there's nothing I HATE more than encountering someone else's loose dog on the trail, that just comes running right up to us and gets right up in Gypsy's face or jumps up on me or my husband. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

SO, you actually agree with me that dogs should be leashed when hiking and backpacking?! FINALLY there's SOMEONE!

Yep, you read me right Kristen - keeping the dog leashed when there's a possibility of encountering another person ( or a bear, or a feral dog, or a skunk, etc... ) is safest, especially with a trained ppd ( in the case of encountering another person ).
Better safe then sorry, but you already know that! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Kristen, maybe this is a dumb question by why would you NEED a PPD in Asheville?

I lived there 10 years ago but when we did in West Asheville which was the *low rent* part of town and never felt particularly vlunerable to crime. Has it changed that much?

Now getting on private property out in the mountains is another story but I am not sure a dog would be much help from the mountain folk.

Just curious. I figure for MOST people the deterrence factor of a GSD is more than enough.

Why do I need a PPD? Hmmm, I suppose I don't really, need one I suppose, but I am interested in competing, and I don't want a dog that will only go after someone wearing a sleeve (schutzhund, for example) - just in case I ever am in a situation where someone isn't being deterred just from the sight of the dog. I guess being raped when I was 12 plays some part in my wanting a PPD, and the fact that Adam (an Army MP) might or might not be there to help protect me if I need it. Also, Adam's business - a firearms dealer and gunsmith - is home-based, and we need something other than just an alarm system (which we also have) to protect his business assets. Just an audible alarm isn't enough (in our opinion), and even though I know how to shoot, I may not be next to the gun at the time I needed it, and my current dog wouldn't do anything - I doubt she'd even bark - if someone were to break in.

Having a PPD would also help me feel more secure when we were out backpacking or hiking, because you can't carry a gun in some of the places we go, and even if you DO, you aren't supposed to carry it loaded (though I don't see what good that does). If someone were to try something while we were out on the trail (and it's happened quite a number of times in this area), the dog would be able to either distract the person while we loaded our guns, or otherwise deter him from trying anything in the first place. As I have already said, my current dog would just be sitting there wagging her tail at the person.


I guess a PPD is more of a want than a need, but rest assured I'm not one of those morons that want a PPD just to say "Hey look what my dog can do."

Oh I was not really judging, just trying to understand.

Being a gun dealer would be a real motiviation as I am sure the guns could be a target of thieves. The closest I can understand to the rape thing is escaping from a knife weielding rapist as a college student but actually being raped as a child....that must be tough!

I have not met an whackos on the trail but have been shot at while canoeing on the new river up near the VA line (by farmers with their shotguns) and then of course there was Bent Creek <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Oh I know you weren't judging. Yeah, there have been quite a few bodies found on trails in Western NC. Since you can't carry a gun on some of the trails (anywhere in the Smokies, for example), having a dog that I know I could rely on if we did encounter someone that seemed a little odd would be nice. I'm over the rape, for the most part, but there are still times when I just get a funny feeling about certain people when I'm out, you know? Having a dog in those instances would be nice as well.

Farmers actually shot at you while you were canoeing?? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Yep - back in college days I was a camp counselor and we were canoeing on the New River. One of the kids incompletely washed the dishes one night (found out he only used sand)and we had a bunch of sick kids. Pulled off on the edge of a cow pasture and the guy comes after us with a shotgun. He is shooting at us but he was pretty far away but we got the point.